Dauria Aerospace, a multinational aerospace company providing satellite-based remote sensing has successfully delivered two Perseus-M spacecrafts into low earth orbit. These satellites will be combined with Dauria's DX1 spacecraft and eight Perseus-O imaging satellites to form the Perseus space monitoring and remote sensing constellation. The maritime segment of the Perseus constellation will track and monitor vessels in open seas and navigable waterways in the USA, Canada, Northern Europe and Russia.

Mike Kokorich, founder and president at Dauria Aerospace said, "The launch of the Perseus-M satellites marks a significant achievement for Dauria. Once established, the maritime segment of the constellation will provide valuable vessel traffic information to a range of users from captains and ship owners to the coast guard and search and rescue services in the Northern Hemisphere."

The two Perseus-M maritime-surveillance satellites were launched on the 19th June aboard a Dnepr rocket. Canopus Systems, a Mountain View, CA based affiliate of Dauria, developed these satellites which feature a proprietary microsatellite platform and are equipped with commercially oriented experimental Automatic Identification System (AIS) payloads.

Mike Kokorich continued, "We are confident in the commercial success of the constellation. Prior to DX1 launch, we reached an agreement with the Russian Ministry of Transportation for the development of AIS services. At this time, Russia does not maintain any space assets with AIS capabilities and can only monitor maritime traffic less than about 43 miles from its shoreline. We expect this partnership to lead to agreements with multiple companies based in North America and Europe."